leandrorar

Going to the airport:

Sheraton Maria Isabel Official Taxi price: $240

Taximex as recommended by the fellow FTer: $114.

Thank you! I'm just waiting for my car

OK. Car was a 5/10. Hotel cars were 8/10. Fair price for a 15 minutes ride at 3AM. Car arrived 4 minutes late.

leandrorar

Avoid this hotel, except if you have a confirmed towers room, you are Platinum Preferred Guest and you know how to clone a wireless MAC address. Old and Overpriced.

Bell boys won't open the door if you don't need help with your luggage.

Rooms are far outdated.

HSIA is USD15+TAX, while in Sheraton Centro Historico is free.

Local Telephone calls are USD2.35/minute.

Yes! I made no mistake!!! US$2.35 per minute for a local call!!! That's like telling you "Please do not come back never ever again!". They will waive calls to Plat members if you dispute the charge.

Wireless internet connection is bad, even in the Towers lounge. You will get access to the towers lounge for breakfast as well as for 6-10pm amenities.

The pool is cheap.

Ranking: W is the best. Sheraton CH is well+. Sheraton Maria Isabel is bad to terrible. They are building a St Regis very close to the Sheraton Maria Isabel. I hope they finally demolish this one.

BTW: The Sheraton Santa Isabel is owned directly by Starwood.

pb9997

leandrorar, thank you for your words.

In fact I find at this property their regular rooms in the Towers Section to be better than the suites because:

a) Reforma/Angel view
b) Butler service - waking up with coffee/orange juice/croissant
c) Complimentary sweet in the evenings
d) Local and 0800 complimentary calls
e) Much better ammenities

At this property I love its location, you can just walk in the evening. Next time at this property try with a smile to get a regular room at the Tower section - small room yet cosy enough.Tower: 14-18 floors.

W is great for business/short stays, long stays there and I feel exhausted;
Sheraton CH. their 01 suites are huuuge; but find the location poor and traffic to the business side an issue.

DesertRat

Anybody have any recent experiences in Mexico City with upgrades as platinum? We're traveling with two kids so the extra space would be nice.
It seems to be a close call with us between the two Sheratons otherwise.

zakami

Would you recommend the Sheraton Centro Histórico or the JW Marriott. I am Platinum at both SPG and Marriott so status is not an issue? I typically prefer Starwood properties but the JW Marriott seems to have good reviews and location. We are a 30/26 yr old couple and doing a quick trip to Mexico City primarily to check out the historical sites in and around the city. Location might matter a bit (but taxi is a non-issue) as it will be Mrs Zakami's birthday one of the two nights and we'd go out and celebrate. If it matters I plan to use points at either hotel.

thaack

I am heading to Mexico City at the end of Feb and trying to decide which SPG property I should stay at. There are four but the three I am most interested in are:

W Mexico City
Sheraton Maria Isabel Hotel and Towers
Sheraton Centro Histórico Hotel & Convention Center, Mexico City

Clearly the W is positioned as being better (CAT 4 versus 3 for the other two) but then its almost double the price. Which could be justified if it really is superior and the best. I am a Plat Member so that can make me a bit spoiled and pushes my expectations higher in terms of room size, etc. (get annoyed when the suite / room upgrade isn't available or when they try to make it sound like you got it but they are just confirming what I infact reserved).

Anyway - any feedback and recommendations would be appreciated.

365RoadWarrior

The Maria Isabel is always my first-choice. Fabulous location in Zona Rosa, and reliable service. Nothing fabulous about it, and the Diamond treatment isn't over-the-top - sometimes a little nicer room; no lounge/breakfast. But it works for me.

abk

i bounce back and forth between the two depending on price. if you are a first time mexico city visitor i would choose the w as it is unique and the area is very nice. the hotel bar depending on the night can be the place to be. the rooms are really differn't and it is a true w experience with a latin twist. check to see if they are offering cash and points because then the hotel is a deal. as to the maria isabel it is well described in the post above except that there is a lounge that serves breakfast and cocktails that platinums can go to although generally they do not go out of their way to advise you of this.

sbtinme

In my experience with the above, YMMV. This hotel appears to have very unclear rules about this policy. I've been allowed to visit on some occasions, but denied on others. Staff is not clear on this.

I also prefer the Maria Isabel to the other two, mostly because of location.

DesertRat

As somebody said in one of the previous threads, it depends on what type of person you are (and what you want to do). Historico will give you a feeling of being in Mexico, at the center of it all, but the area is rough around the edges. W is in an area that is nice, affluent and safe, but blah.
I moved from Historico to W during vacation last summer and regretted the move. Others might feel the opposite way.
BTW, as a platinum, I received a much better room upgrade at Historico.

NicholasEvans

Stayed at both the W and the Sheraton Centro Historico on my last visit to Mexico City. Both were nice. W is beautifully designed and in a nicer neighborhood. Sheratron is in the middle of the historic center so it was easy to see the sites and has a great pool and gym.

I recommend switching it up and staying at a couple hotels during your stay. You'll be able to see more of the city this way!

365RoadWarrior

I've visited ten times, give or take, and was never aware...though I can't say I ever specifically asked.

365RoadWarrior

Hold up. My wife just slugged me - jogged my memory. Yes. A Lounge! I remember it now. Nice view. And lots of food not suited for vegetarian consumption. My wife ate some seafood thing from the hors d'oeuvre table in the evening, and there was a pretty decent looking hot/cold breakfast spread. They remembered my coffee and my wife's tea order every day. And they knew my name (which is better than I can say for myself sometimes.)

Sorry for my earlier mental lapse. 365 days a year in hotels, and they all start to blur.

sbtinme

Perfect summation -- in my view, anyway. If you want to be in one of the few places in all of Mexico that feels like Rodeo drive, then I guess I'd recommend that you stay at the W in Polanco. It is a nicely run property and quite well maintained, but for my senses it's just not at all where I'd want to be in Mexico city. I think the nation's ONLY Jaguar dealer is adjacent.

I'd also agree that the Sheraton Centro Historico is a remarkable hotel that is exceptional. Great restaurant, too! The area in the daytime is wonderful - very close to Bellas Artes and the Alameda, etc, etc. But, super sketchy at night -- we had a rough time outside Bellas Artes just 2 years ago that I don't care to repeat in this lifetime.

Call me nuts, but I still prefer the older, dated Maria Isabel to the other two. They still don't (generally) upgrade Plats to the Towers Rooms -- which is very frustrating, but they claim it's a hotel within a hotel. (Right.)

nicolas75

Mexico city is a big city. If you want to discover the city by walking rather than taking taxis or public transports, you may better stay in different places.

The W hotel is perfect to visit the Polanco area, the Mexican Beverly Hills. The hotel, which is along the Chapultepec park, is close to the Auditorio metro station and five minutes walk from the magnificent Museo Nacional de Antropologia. It is a cool hotel, but certainly too expensive for what it is.

Sheraton Historico is located closed to the Opera house. It is the best location to visit the historical part of the city, but it is also a bit far from action for nightlife, shopping and the major museums.

Sheraton Maria Isabel is not that new. Being located on Paseo de la Reforma, the chic business area, it is very closed to Zona Rosa and Condesa, the best part of the city.

Forget the clichés about Mexico City, polluted and unsafe. The Mexican capital is one of the largest metropole in the world, but also a city with many neighborhoods, most of which are small urban villages. The atmosphere is often surprisingly peaceful. In addition, it is a city full of life, with many places of creation and art exhibition.

Some tips:
1. For France nostalgics, visit the Casa de Francia, a magnificent mansion at 15 Havre street, which has a great library and an excellent - and cheap - French restaurant. Temporary exhibitions are regularly presented.
2. Visit the beautiful area of Condesa, the "rive gauche" of Mexico (beautiful contemporary and art nouveau buildings , many restaurants and galleries surrounded by greenery, with the very chic Condesa DF hotel design by India Mahdavi)
3. La Casa Estudio Diego Rivera y Frida Kahlo, a magnificent work of Juan O'Gorman, is not located rue de Londres, as the museum, but in the chic neighborhood of San Angel. Take the Metrobus, very practical and economic, to get there.
4. Mexico City is a historic town with a thousand treasures from the past, but also a city that vibrates. The megacity account many contemporary buildings of high architectural quality, innovative design at restaurants (like Habita hotel in the district of Polanco), and night clubs in the electric atmosphere (Living, temple of techno music, located in a neo-gothic castle on Reforma Avenue, a few meters from la Torre Major).